Getting a Head on the Job

From Great North Road

By Kenneth Miller.
July 2001

The Kasama Prison with its white washed walls and large green doors was located near the Boma with its distinctive tall white flag pole flying the Union Jack and guarded by a couple of German field guns, relics of the First World War.

The Prison, Boma and other fine structures allowed Kasama to claim title as the Capital of the Northern Province. All were located on the top of an escarpment. Behind the Prison at the foot of the escarpment were the warders lines and Prison vegetable gardens.

In the early fifties, my Dad, Tommy Miller, was the officer in charge of the Prison, and part of his duties were to regularly inspect the warders lines and gardens. Throughout the gardens were a number of shallow wells where the warders wives would draw water. A major irritant to my Dad, was the constant repairs that had to be done to the low mud walls surrounding the wells. The damage it was established, was caused primarily by negligent warders wives. Despite numerous lectures the problem continued.

Discussing his concerns with Wilson Mwilenga, a prison trustee who looked after the gardens, my Dad was advised by the enterprising trustee that he would find a solution to the problem.

On his next inspection a couple of weeks later, a brimming Wilson Mwilenga proudly announced that the problem was now over. The walls to the wells were intact. Dad, resplendent in his khaki uniform with I am proud to say his sam browne, approached a well, was obviously pleased until looking into the well to find a bleached white human skull looking up at him. Mwilenga had obviously used somone else's head to solve the problem. The skull had done the trick as it discouraged one and all from drawing water from the Prison wells.

A recent head count of prisoners had shown all present and correct, there were no reported losses of wardens, their wives or kids and no murders in Kasama. Who then had generously donated their skull to protect the wells ?

Mwilenga, when questioned, proudly admitted to raiding the local cemetary which was close to the Prison and had taken the skull which obviously was of no use to the remainder of the corpse.

While congratulating Mwilenga for showing initiative, the trustee prisoner was however instructed to return the skull from whence it came.

Sadly to report on the next inspection the walls to the wells showed signs of misuse and once again they had to be repaired.